Havasupai 2008

Another Havasupai trip gone by. This is my fifth year hiking into the canyon and I've still managed to make it out alive. I was actually in my best shape, thanks to the training for the Pat's Run last April and of course Jillian Michaels, from the Biggest Loser, who kicked my trash!

We had a pretty good group of 27, though our group did get split up into two camps so I was a little sad about that. However, we all still had a great time playing in the different falls.

We began our adventure on Thursday evening where some of us met at the church by my house and headed out of the valley by 5pm. We made a stop in Flagstaff, picked up a few supplies at the WalMart and ate a hearty meal at Fizoli's.

We arrived at the hilltop at about midnight and began our decent into the canyon at about 1am. We prefer to hike through the night to avoid the intense heat of the sun, it really is the way to go. The hike into the village is about eight miles. Since I was the ring leader, I had to hang out at the village till reservations opened up Friday morning to pay for our group. Some stayed with me while the others headed into camp, another two miles. I then joined the group, set up my tent, and slept for a good couple of hours. A few of us later headed over to Havasu Falls to soothe our tired muscles in the cool waters. Later I headed back, took a bath in the stream by camp and ate a Mountain House dehydrated dinner. Hmmm, there's nothing like going to bed smelling clean after a long hike in and a full tummy.

The next day I got up about 7:30ish, had some cereal and took off with a group to Mooney Falls. This is a fun fall to climb down to. There are plenty of chains and ladders to get you down. It sounds intimidating, but it really isn't. Mooney Falls actually got its name from a miner who died there while repelling by the fall. We took some pics and headed down stream to the 'showers' and then off to the rope swing to play a bit.

We then hiked backed to camp, ate lunch and took off to Navajo Falls. This fall is different than the other two. It's much more of a cascading fall and absolutely beautiful. There's also places to explore behind with some more small falls that many people don't know about. In fact, some people tried to warn us that the path dead ends. We thanked them and kept going.

Afterwards, I headed back to Havasu Falls with a friend to meet up with the rest of our group. We couldn't find them so we found a rock by the falls and chilled for a while. Later, one of the girls showed up and we hiked over to the mines since she had never been and was eager to check them out. Last year I had gone down into the lower levels, though I know it's not the safest or smartest place to be. So we just played it safe this year and explored the first level.

We headed back to camp, made some dinner, enjoyed some desert, and started to take down camp for the hike out early morning. Once all packed up as much as possible, a friend and I went to Havasu Falls to enjoy one last moment and to look at the stars.

That night I slept out under the stars in my sleeping bag on a raft left by another camp. We had overslept a bit so didn't begin our hike out till sunrise. I made pretty good time and just kept going till we made it to the top. Those switchbacks kick my butt every year! As soon as we reached the top I payed for overpriced ice cold water and a Popsicle...worth every cent!

On the way back home we stopped at the famous Snow Cap cafe and enjoyed a couple of tacos and a shake. There are some antique cars in the back with eyes painted on the windshields to look like the characters in the movie Cars, not sure which came first. The service was comical and the food delicious.

So the question now is, "Am I going to do this again next year?" I'm not sure I'm ready to organize another YSA trip, especially now that I'm no longer a YSA, but Krista wants me to organize a family trip. However, it gets a bit tricky with the kids so I'm not sure how well that idea will fly. We would probably have to put an age limit. There are also other options for getting down there besides hiking. You can take the mule all the way in or the helicopter to the village, but that can get pricey when you're paying for a family. There is also a lodge for those who don't want to do the camping, but you'll have a good hike to get to the falls each day (at least four miles total). And obviously, the better shape you're in the better your experience and the more you can see. So if any of the fam is interested, let me know ad we can start planning now.